I've been on TWCL for a long time now; I'm quite the adamant follower of webcomics (though these days not as much as I used to be), but I've never actually made a post in the forums until now.

Anyway, let me introduce myself: I'm a web developer with a particular interest/specialization in WordPress. If you guys don't mind, I'm looking for some input on a project idea, and I hope I'm in the right spot.

I'm in the planning stages for a new WordPress theme that is specifically aimed at publishing webcomics. Ideally, I'd like the end-user to just have to install WordPress, install the theme, upload a comic, and relax. No futzing with code, FTP, or any of that stuff.

My "wish list" for features include the following:

*Fully responsive layout which optimized for both desktop and mobile
*Easy retina support so comics look great on both regular-res and high-density screens
*"Comic staging": If you publish every Monday, for example, you can upload a finished comic on Saturday (for example) and let the theme take care of your publishing schedule
*Multiple layout options for many different comic styles (Three-panel strips, full-page comics, manga-style, etc.)
*Intuitive archive pages
*Super customizable appearance (with options panels, but if you *do* know CSS, there'll be an option for that too)

Is this something that you guys, as webcomic enthusiasts, would be interested in?

Are there any shortcomings of your current setup that you wish could be addressed?

Would you be willing to pay $45-50 for a copy if it addressed all of your needs?

I really, really appreciate any input I could get from you guys. In fact, if this comes to fruition, I'll try and get you guys a beta copy as soon as it's done!

ComicPress and Comic Easel already do this, and are well-known and highly utilized in the webcomic community. These are also both free, and Frumph (who I think maintains them both? Or at least one) is very actively offering support for free. He occasionally stops by this forum.

If this is still something you'd want to do regardless, I would check out those themes and see what they offer. If you think you can do it better or offer something new, go for it, but I really doubt anyone is going to pay $45 for it. You would have to overthrow what Frumph has offered (and continues to offer), or find someone who's new to webcomics to buy it._________________

Oh, by all means, burst away. I need honesty. I may try and drill down to a specific niche (after all, I by no means want to step on anybody's toes), but after looking into those two I *may* be hard pressed to justify releasing something as a premium theme if all the aforementioned functionality is there.